You Now have the gift of Choice In Recovery

choice[chois]NOUN1. an act or instance of choosing; selection: Her choice of a computer was made after months of research. His parents were not happy with his choice of friends.2. the right, power, or opportunity to choose; option: The child had no choice about going to school.3. the person or thing has chosen or eligible to be chosen: This book is my choice. He is one of many choices for the award.4. an alternative: There is another choice.5. an abundance or variety from which to choose: a wide choice of candidates.

Hi, it’s Dermot again. If you read my last blog on chemical dependency, you will know that this is a follow up to that blog and part of a “Recovery from Addiction Series”, If not read on:

Choice

“Choice is a gift, Choice is an immense power that we all have been given freely”.

The greatest awareness I ever got in my early recovery was that I was suddenly free from the burden of addiction. I literally was a slave to alcohol, it controlled me 24/7, like a bull with a nose ring it leads me on a very dangerous journey. It occupied my thoughts, it suppressed my feelings and it was killing my body & soul.

My web address for “Recovery from Addiction Series” Choice is “Saoirse”, (not Ronan) which is Gaelic for freedom or free spirit, was named as every day I am in recovery I am free. With that freedom comes the greatest gift, which was denied me for years, Choice.

I now have the right and choice to make any decision I want in life, which is the biggest freedom I can have. The freedom to choose what I think and how I feel and absolutely NO ONE can take that away from me. Viktor E Frankl who survived the Nazi concentration camps said ” The last of human freedoms – the ability to chose one’s attitude in a given set of circumstances”. He had everything taken away from him, but he never let them take his attitude, that was his choice.

How does choice in recovery benefit me

Helps me make the right decisions for me and my own well being and recovery, thus empowering me and my self-worth & esteem.

Helps me accept mistakes, both past & present, and work towards a solution.

Appreciating Choice

Never take yourself for granted again & this includes your own freedom from addiction.

A choice is a gift, which we should cherish always and also use wisely.

Remember other people also have the freedom to make their own choices and we must respect that also, even if our opinions differ.

Decision Making

With the power of choice comes the conviction of decisions.

Decisions = responsibility.

Responsibility = ownership.

We can no longer blame others for our shortcomings, if we choose to be responsible and stand by our decisions.

If we make mistakes, we must be willing to accept them, learn & move on.

Never Doubt Yourself

If you know that you are right, then you don’t have to persuade others.

Never allow your own judgment or values be changed by other peoples’ opinions or actions.

Life in recovery can be challenging and daunting, but it is the same for everyone & it will pass.

People can behave in cruel & hurtful ways, but we can choose to ignore them.

Summary

In life everyday, you can choose to be Solution focused & happy or choose to be problem burdened & sad, its your choice.

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can & the wisdom to know the difference”

My next article is on Control, stay tuned.

The articles in “Recovery from Addiction” Series, are the opinion of the author and if you would like to contribute to it, please leave a comment in the comment box below. If you want to subscribe, for free, to any further blogs of mine please leave your email in the blue box below.

Recovery is about growth and everyone does grow at a different pace. My advice to anyone in early recovery is to wait at least 2 years before making any major life changing decisions that might have emotional ramifications. An example: get a mortgage, get married, change career, emigrate. In light of this everyone has dreams and we all do want to better our lives in one way or another, so it is important in early recovery to start to put those dreams into reality by creating achievable goals which can be reached in time. I found in my early recovery, although I had dreams, I wasn’t aware of creating goals and my life unfolded by default. It turned out well for me, but had I had clear goals, I do feel that it would have been even better.

I do try to learn from my mistakes, and that is why they are little miracles in themselves that happen for a reason. I am a growth seeking being I will continue to seek change in myself. What motivates me is the Pain – Pleasure, which moves me away from my pain points (a lack of finances, time & peace of mind) to my pleasure points (freedom of finances, time & peace of mind). The way I have found to achieve this freedom and to move away from the “Groundhog Day” of life is through on line marketing. I have taken this step into the abyss, I’m not tech savvy at all, and with the support of SFM, I am working my way through it. The internet is here to stay and is the future for all of us, so don’t get left behind because it is gaining momentum. If you want to learn what I am learning and are in a point in your life where you want change, then I offer you, through my mentors, a no obligation FREE 7 day video series to watch.